Lipstick Lez Entertainment
The title “Lipstick Lez” reflects Tia’s personality and gender expression, but the company targets a diversity of women from 21 to 55 years of age. Tia’s priority list is always topped with guaranteeing that guests are placed in a safe, high quality environment and venue. “Not just some hole in the wall where the bathroom door is broken,” she explained. There are approximately twelve to fifteen LGBT entertainment groups in Louisville. However, Lipstick Lez stands apart by flaunting its best feature—consistency. Through the assistance of project, public relations, and promotion managers, this team remains true to their audience by executing delightful and satisfying events for mature women, encouraging fellowship, growth and friendships, and promoting quality entertainment over attendance and profits.
THE DERBY CITY.
Louisville has a peculiar metropolitan culture. In January 1999, it became one of the first cities below the Mason-Dixon Line to prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender iden-tity. The consolidated municipality also prohibits discrimination in housing and public accommoda-tions. In comparison to the larger queer community, the Black LGBT community in the city is arguably in an infant stage of development. “The community is different here,” Tia expressed. “We’re in the Bible belt, people are conservative and not out of the closet even though we’re [in] 2012…our biggest downfall is that we can’t come together to save our lives.”
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“It’s not just about how we party together. It’s how we raise our kids together;
it’s how we build our city up together. It’s how we make it in this word.” ~TIA
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PARTNERSHIPS.
Tia manages partners with local businesses and organizations to bridge gaps between lesbian, gays, and straight factions. One such partnership is the House of Ruth, an organization that provides HIV/AIDS advocacy and housing programs. By raffling tickets for the nonprofit’s Christmas assistance program, Lipstick Lez invited members of their dedicated following to participate in group outreach. And because of their affinity for the company, the group raised enough money to completely sponsor a child’s Christmas.
GOOD TIMES.
Lyrically Spoken, the entertainment group’s most successful event series, is a direct result of relationship building. When planning for a poetry set, Lipstick Lez requests African American, female, and/or LGBT owned businesses to promote their products and services at each event. Lyrically Spoken commenced in March 2011 at Starbase Q— a downtown Louisville nightclub that once served a majority gay, white male population.
UPCOMING COLLECTION.
Through Lyrically Spoken, Tia has witnessed women express deep personal aspects of their lives through poetry, song, website postings, and emails. “How people view lesbian, bisexual, or bi-curious women is nothing like who these women actually are.” Their openness and commitment has motivated Lipstick Lez to produce an anthology featuring writings from talented women whose words would otherwise remain undiscovered, or experienced only within the realm of the Lyrically Spoken mic. The anthology is also an alternative for the woman who is uncomfortable with a crowd or stage. The collection will take six months to one year to complete. Once published, it will unveil a diverse group of women with a range of poetry and short stories, and offer a testament to overcome pasts and present struggles with life and love in Louisville.
Although Lipstick Lez is currently “bigger than our city,” it will continue to grow and serve as an unorthodox ministry. As a vessel for women to grow their talents and careers, Lipstick Lez Entertainment is bound for regional expansion, bringing the “genuine good time” and fellowship to LGBT women in communities lacking such entertainment and camaraderie. “If you’re not a lesbian, or a woman, how do you understand what a lesbian likes or how she wants to enjoy herself? We can have control over the fun we have.” •
For more information, contact Tia Coatley at lipsticklezent@gmail.com or the Lipstick Lez website at www.LLEnt.info.
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